Sometimes, designer fashion is about a whole lot more than catching the next biggest aesthetic craze, as is the case with these Vivienne Westwood bags, which puts its focus on ethical and socially conscious concerns.
Designed for the United Nation’s Ethical Fashion Programme, the ethically stylish collection features pieces which are exclusively made by hand in Nairobi from upcycled advertising banners and tents. In addition to being stylish, however, the bags are also notable because they provide a steady source of employment, empowerment and independence for some of the world’s most poor and disenfranchised women. In this way, the bags highlight how fashion and ethics don't have to be mutually exclusive and can in fact exist together in profitable harmony.
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Ethical Fashion
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design and produce fashion items that are ethically made, empowering disadvantaged communities.
- Upcycled Materials
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Utilize discarded materials to create high-quality fashion products, promoting sustainability and reducing waste.
- Socially Conscious Fashion
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop fashion brands that prioritize social impact and empower marginalized groups through employment and income generation.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Fashion Retail
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Incorporate ethical and socially conscious fashion collections to attract socially-conscious consumers and create positive social impact.
- Sustainable Materials
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Establish businesses that specialize in sourcing and manufacturing fashion products using upcycled materials, contributing to circular economy practices.
- Social Enterprise
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Build socially-driven fashion enterprises that address social issues, such as unemployment and poverty, while creating desirable and ethical products.
